Thursday, May 28, 2009

A few weeks ago, before it was strawberry season, my grandma tempted me with a dessert my Aunt Margaret used to make: strawberry delight.

Aunt Margaret was one of the fancier members of the family. She was always impeccably dressed and when I was young, she would give me her perfume and make-up samples from Neiman Marcus.

Like Aunt Margaret, strawberry delight sounded swank. And when my grandma gave me the recipe, she admitted that strawberry delight was both elaborate and delicious. But she then added no dessert could compare to eating fresh, ripe berries either on their own or with cream on a flaky biscuit split in two.

Dazzled by the name, however, I insisted on making strawberry delight when I bought my first pints of the juicy red berries at the farmer’s market last week.

Strawberry delight is very similar to a fool, where the berries are mashed and then stirred into whipped cream. This dessert differs, however, by the addition of a buttery pecan crust and a meringue that’s folded into the strawberries and cream.
Now, if I had any sense, I would have heeded my grandmother’s advice and kept it simple. But I like a challenge and when I was faced with whipping a couple of egg whites into a meringue without a stand mixer, I knew I had to give it a try. How hard could it be? I make whipped cream all the time with my eggbeater so I assumed that a meringue could hardly be all that more work.

One hour later, I was still struggling to make my egg whites fluff while the strawberries sat on the counter mocking me with their easy beauty. Tired of spinning the eggbeater, I took my meringue and folded it into the whipped cream and berries. I spread the whipped concoction over the crust and then put it into the freezer to chill overnight.

In the morning, when I pulled the pan out of the freezer I was stuck by how the peaks in the dessert looked like the topography of a pretty pink world. I cut out a piece and took a bite. It was buttery, nutty, creamy and fruity. It had been a lot of work, but it was indeed good.

Desserts such as this are frilly and fun and remind me of summer garden parties or church potlucks; there is a certain nostalgia when you dip your spoon into a creamy, cold square.

That said, my grandma made an excellent point about simpler pleasures. And this time of the year when the summertime fruits are making their debuts, I do believe that nothing beats eating them as they were made, still fresh, juicy and warm from the sun.

You made me laugh with your egg white story, a laugh of recognition... This looks delicious, though I agree with you about a ripe strawberry being perfect just as it is. In England, we have a much-loved summer pudding called Eton Mess, essentially whipped cream, broken meringue and strawberries folded together. Legend has it, it was 'invented' when a Labrador sat on a hamper on the way to picnic at the school from which it takes its name.

Ohhhh yes, this looks amazing. And just in time! Strawberries are in full swing out here, and today is CSA box day, which means I'm getting probably 6-8 pints of strawberries. This will be a great way to enjoy some of them!

ooooh. that sounds delicious. nothing better than fresh strawberries bursting with flavor like that....the lightness of the dish makes me think of strawberries floating on a cloud....great recipe. can't wait to make it! keep the excellent blog coming...u have many fans!

I've forgotten what a fresh strawberry tastes like. After buying and throwing away several containers from the supermarket, I've just decided to wait until they appear in the farmers' markets. This looks exquisite.

Oh, I'm so ready for another strawberry dessert. My husband made two gorgeous strawberry rhubarb sugar-free pies two weeks in a row. I had a real (bisquit based) strawberry shortcake in March at the Irish Festival. I even named my new adopted dog Seamus Shortcake, in honor of that yummy shortcake!

it looks and sounds soooooo yummy. it reminded me of this time of year, when i was a kid, my mom would have us go picking with us, and then she would make a years worth of strawberry jam. i'm going to passed this along to her too! thank you :)

Your grandma must have been friends with my mother in law. She gave me this recipe years ago and I had forgotten about it. Thanks so much for reminding me. It is a fabulous recipe. And the crust is great with lots of other things too.

Strawberries are about finished in SC for the year. It is getting too hot. But the peaches are here and I can't wait to get my first ones later this week. I wonder if the same process could be used with fresh peaches. Peaches are my absolute favorite and I love that they are available all summer long.I so enjoy your blog!

I made this last week and served it Saturday night at a dinnr party and was immediately praised for this wonderful dessert..even from a grumpy person who claims not to like desserts....I encourage everyone to try the recipe and commit to the time it takes to whip it up properly!!!!

OMGosh! I can't believe I found a recipe so similar to the one my grandma made. The one I make doesn't require meringue, although it does require egg whites. I use frozen strawberries as well, so I can make my Strawberry Delight all year long

I have made this recipe half a dozen times or so since you first posted it, and I wanted to (finally) tell you *thank you* for passing it along! I just finished making it for Mother's Day lunch with berries from my farmers' market. I've also made this using peaches, which turned out wonderfully -- I may try blueberries or blackberries soon. One more thing -- I usually use a springform pan, which makes for a beautiful presentation. : )

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